Cytra
by shinigami-sama101
Summary: Every eight years, on the planet Cytra, a very grand event takes place for all eighty year old's (Ten year old's on Earth) partake in a series of duels to see if they are fit to honor and serve their dear god and creator. Hot-tempered Kaiden Roe is faced with the biggest challange of all: facing her closest friend. Will Kaiden pick her pride over her friendship?
1. Beginning

**Beginning**

Thousands of centuries ago, a man who goes by the name Creator created Cytra from a simple whim; one including that everything should be in the palm of his hand. He had something known as a talent: giving you beyond human advantages. With each soul came its own special talent; allowing the soul to command that talent to its full content but in time with both body and spirit. The Creator had a extraordinary talent that even the people of his own planet thought remarkable. He grew bored with the life he was living and rebelled. He took both his talent and his clever mind to a far off space; far away from the planet in which he use to live, until he created his own planet. As time went by, Cytra began to form. There, he created his own civilization, in which he was the king, the master, and the creator. Soon after he created Cytra and civilization took off, he had the strongest and wisest of cytreins become something called an Archigos. The Archigos wear bloody red cloaks that are hooded and have different symbols according to their ranking. They are picked to help keep order all throughout Cytra, making peace the essential. They protect and help the Creator when the Creator is in need and to protect the people. To become an Archigos, one must be sincere and trustworthy to all cytreins and be willing to give one's life at any moment that the time asks. Only someone who participated in the duels can become an Archigos.

The Creator soon got bored with his new life; going to different measures to find something to appease him. None did until he had a devious idea. He wanted a fight to find: the most clever, the strongest, or the best talent. He decided that when a cytrein turns the age of eighty (ten in earth years), that they would partake in a duel to see who would be best fit to serve him truly as a follower. He did not wish for anyone to lose their life though, since he valued lives of others and care for his people. Time went on as the Creator discovered that forcing his people was not a way to gain their trust; so, he made it so that the young eighty year old cytreins had a choice: be in the bottom of the food chain or to risk participating in the duel. Those that participated would get a special gift when and if they returned to Cytra. He thought for a long time, thinking what should happen to those who lose. Thinking that the loser should not remain on Cytra, The Creator decided to send them to a different planet similar to their own planet. The Creator found Earth, a planet most suited for those who did not win. Earth had many similarities to Cytra, but many differences: as the humans had no such thing called a talent, or anything close to it. He had the losers sent there, their memory of Cytra being erased and their talent hidden deep inside their hearts. He figured that the winners would go down to Earth, but keep a fair amount of knowledge of their home to figure out an answer that would be fairly easy to figure out, but witty as well. Their tattoo would stay on the right side of their stomach, but all memories of friends, family, of all cytreins except the ones at the duels. The goal for the winners to come back to Cytra is to find the "answer". The "answer" is something that the Creator values more than anything; one particular thing that some find idiotic.

Only a fair amount of cytreins make it back to Cytra each year. Over time, if one is to never figure out the answer, one's memory fade losing all knowledge of Cytra and losing the ability to control said person's talent, which is locked deep inside a person's heart, just like the losers. The moment a cytrein touches Cytra's soil, all memories return. That is the ways of the people of this planet. Long live Cytra!


	2. Chapter One- The Duels

_Chapter One_

_Kaiden_

Today was the beginning of the end of Kaiden Roe's world. She looked out into the snowy distance, realizing that tonight would be her final night on her beloved planet Cytra. Cytra was a beautiful place: as the stars danced across the deathly black nighttime sky. The two moons were glowing brightly as clouds began to drift in front of them, making the snow come harder and harder. Cold air tickled Kaiden's pale cheeks, sending shivers down her spine. She pulled her cloak closer to her face, hoping for a tiny bit of warmth. The gentleness of the snow made Kaiden forget all of her troubles, allowing her mind to wander. Snow was always calming for her, but that may solemnly be because of her best friend who's talent was to control water. Controlling water therefore equaled he could control snow too, which he did often. He liked to make miniature blizzards to amuse Kaiden when they were both young, always sending Kaiden into a fit of giggles and smiles.

The silent sound of snow being crushed under the feet of the Archigos' and young cytreins made her heart sink. This could be the last time she ever walked on the beauty of Cytra's snow. She stuck her hand out, catching a few flakes in the palm of her hand. The snow melted into water from the warmth of her skin. She smiled wistfully, appreciating this last time.

An agonizing scream pierced the silent night; heads turning to see what the commotion was about. Kaiden slipped through the crowd towards the scream to see a boy on his knees with an Archigos holding down his shoulder, shouting lectures at him.

"You filth! How dare you talk back to me!" The boy's knees were trembling violently, but he held a straight face, showing no fear. The boy spat on the Archigos' face, sending people to back away from the circle that was made. Fire glowed in the Archigos' eyes. Kaiden made her way towards the center, preparing to confront the Archigos', but a hand rested on her shoulder. She glanced back to see Amar.

"Amar." Her voice was full of pain, as she wanted to stop this sort of madness.

Kaiden quickly took notice of the way Amar's body was positioned, shoulders slumped, bags under his eyes, and the exasperated sigh he let out when his eyes flickered to the boy on the ground.

"Please let me-"

Messing with someone before the duels was un-called for and ignorant in Kaiden's eyes. Amar shook his head with such sorrow, leaving Kaiden to hold her breath and slip back into the crowd. Amar caught the Archigos' hand in mid air, ready to slap the child, forcing the Archigos to look at the person who was going to deny him of punishing a delinquent. Their eyes met for a moment, making all things clear: Punishing this child was not going to happen. Amar's eyes were fierce and deadly, showing no sign of repentance.

"Sir," the man choked out, terror rising through him.

"You are relieved of section four. Please go to section five instead," Amar commanded, sending chills down everyone's spine. Gentleness was not with Amar right now, too tired and stressed to hold a calm composure.

A girl behind Kaiden giggled softly, so only the people right next to her could hear. She jogged up so she was in the same stride as Kaiden, smiling at her with innocent eyes. "Oh, Kaiden! Your hair looks so pretty in all of this white!"

Kaiden twirled a loose strand of hair, blushing violently. Kaiden never knew how to react when she got a compliment.

"T-thank you," she stuttered. The girl chuckled, looping her arm around Kaiden's.

Now Kaiden definitely didn't know what to do. She's never been friends with anyone other than Elliot. She didn't know how to interact with other people, especially girls. She tried smiling, but it vanished as soon as it came. Today was no day to smile. No, it was a day to not allow personal affairs hold Kaiden back. Kaiden glanced at the girl talking to her, wishing she would stop. A sense of dread seeped in as Kaiden thought about what would happen if she had to duel this girl.

"Lay off," a harsh voice rang out. Kaiden and the girl both turned to see Elliot. He had bleach blonde hair that was almost the color of the snow around them. He had icy blue eyes that pierced you when you looked into them. The girl's eyes widened. Her arm slowly fell to her side as she inched away from us both. "I-I'm s-so sorry." She looked from Elliot to Kaiden, not knowing what to do. Her face showed that she wanted to respond, but words could not escape. After a few seconds, she was no where in sight. Kaiden turned, ready to scold Elliot, but he was already gone. Her eyes darted around, looking for any sign of him, even foot prints. She looked down to see that the blow snow had covered his tracks, most likely with a little help by using his talent. She let out a sigh, starting to move forward with everyone else. Was he trying to help her? She could never read Elliot when he was like this: silent and mad at the world.

The Archigos' dark red capes blew against the icy wind, making it hard for cytreins near them to see. A couple of times, a person would get blinded by the capes if a clumsy Archigos wasn't watching where he was walking.

Bright lights blazed from the dome ahead, making everyone become edgier. The dome's had a glass look, making the outside world see what it truly was: barbaric and beautiful. The dome was unimaginably huge, making it easy to get lost in once you enter. There were dozens of Archigos surrounding the dome, checking off each cytrein that walked through the grand double doors. Somehow everyone merged into a single line automatically, as each person lifted their shirt just enough for the Archigos to see their family symbol. Kaiden was up next, looking anywhere but at the face of the Archigos that said to himself, "Roe, check."

She hurried in, blending back in with the sea of cytreins.

People wearing robes and other formal clothing went onto a clear disc that took them to their designated rooms where they would watch the duels take place. Kaiden took notice of their masks, taking each one in. Each mask represented the type of person they were, their tastes expressing their true selves. _This is a festival for these fools._ From inside the arena grounds, you couldn't see the watchers, but they saw you clearly. The room you were designated is enhanced, as the current of it's wavelengths flowed in with your brain's wavelengths. If one wished to get a better, closer view of the duel, you simply thought of it and the room would buzz alive, coming to your command.

Carpets of different shades of grays, blacks, and whites decorated the floors, so not to rub the white marble floor. Tapestries and chandeliers hung from the ceiling. There were paintings on each wall of different things, but a common trend she noticed were the immense number of rose paintings. Different kinds of roses were being portrayed, but each one beautiful. Kaiden had a special love for roses, their beautiful essence yet still evil, harming anyone who tried to touch it. She was about to go admire one painting when her body tensed. Sweat trickled down her brow as she tried to gain control of herself. Blazing orange eyes bored into Kaiden, watching her every move. She took the risk of looking head on at the person, trying to get a full profile of them.

It was a boy around her age. For a slight moment, her head ached terribly, making her hold her head, waiting for the pain to stop. The pain was as if someone were stabbing daggers through her skull. _Stop! Please not now. Not before the duels._ He smiled, looking her over, making her feel self conscience. In a hushed tone, she heard someone call her name. Kaiden looked over to where the sound came from, but no one seemed to speak. When she looked back to see the boy, he was gone and the pain had ceased, her body laxened.

An Archigos led everyone to two private areas: one entrusted to the boys, the other, the girls. The two rooms were deep into the building and on a lower level, a place where only Archigos and the competitors could go.

Kaiden's eyebrow lifted as she took in her changing room. There were hundreds of secluded areas where a single curtain hiding your bare, naked body from each other when changing. Above each little "room" was a name plate: each competitors name inscribed in a fine print. Kaiden walked around slowly, taking careful, cautious steps.

Kaiden Roe

Kaiden smiled as she saw her name. She pulled back the curtain to see a chair with clothes folded neatly on top. She dragged the curtain across the railing to shut herself away from everyone else. She picked up her white tunic, running her fingers through it to make sure it wasn't tampered with. On the right side of her tunic was an exact replica of her tattoo. She smiled as she looked carefully at every flawless detail. She lifted her shirt slightly to see her tattoo and match it with the tunic shirt. She dropped her shirt as she reached for her shorts. Underneath were several different ribbons: two black, two white. Finally, was her father's dagger. She took it gingerly, taking her two fore fingers and sliding it across the unsheathed blade. In one swift movement, she sheathed it and put it against the chair. Quickly, she slid her tunic on, feeling it automatically shape itself with Kaiden's body, fitting perfectly. The shorts did the same thing for her, making her more comfortable, but Kaiden held out the hem so it would be a little baggy for her liking. She sat down and propped a leg up. She was about to tie a white ribbon around her ankle when a hint of light peaked through her curtain. In front of her was a young girl or lady: which, she could not tell. She had on an elegant black dress that hugged her curves perfectly. A red sash was tied around her waist, hanging loosely to the girl's fashion. Around her ankles was a red ribbon and a black ribbon. Her hair was loose around her, curls spilling around so beautifully. A black mask hid her face, making it hard to put a name to her.

"Let me." Kaiden's eyes widened as the girl got on both knees and began to tie the white ribbon.

"What a surprise. The Creator's own princess getting on her knees to a mere commoner? Tell me, Luca, what is the rare occasion?"

Kaiden saw the girl's lips curl into a smile. "The occasion is…history is about to be made, my dear Kaiden Roe." Her voice was the same as always: sweet in sound, but always bored.

"History?" Kaiden shifted legs so Luca would have an easier time tying the ribbon. Kaiden took note of the mature way Luca tied. She had it wrapped twice around, an inch a part, and let the strands fall loose behind Kaiden. Luca got up to leave, refusing a helping hand from Kaiden, but faltered in step. "Kaiden Roe. Amuse me, but in the _right _way."

With that, she left, making everyone who laid eyes on her stop in mid sentence. Kaiden was half way out of her room, hand reaching out to Luca.

"What did she mean?" Kaiden whispered to herself. She pulled her hand back to her chest, trying to make sense of what had happened.

Kaiden quickly took notice the eerie silence that took place as everyone around her glared at her with both envy and hate, appalled that the Creator's daughter would talk to only Kaiden.

"What's so special about her?" "She gets favors because of her father's position." "She must have brain washed her."

Kaiden laughed, amused by all the comments. She was about to make a snide remark when a silent knock on the door indicated that changing time was over with. Kaiden lingered behind, throwing her hair up in a pony-tail then braiding it as she walked. Several girls shot her dirty looks before leaving, making Kaiden smile slyly and waved at them. Lolly, a sweet, young Archigos led everyone down dozens of flights of stairs. She opened a lonely wooden door, the only door that anyone has seen for over ten minutes. Kaiden took a deep breath, readying her mind for the worse. The moment she stepped foot through the door, she gasped as did everyone around her. They were half way underground of the arena floor: they were eye level with the floor. There were chairs everywhere: wooden, yet with black or white cushions, soft as pillows. Separating the competitors and the arena grounds was glass that tilted on it's inside, inward. From the inside you could see as clear as day, but if you were on the arena floor and looked back, it was tinted pitch black. On the ceiling was one massive stain glassed window of roses in all different, beautiful shades. The moons light slit through, engulfing the dome in different colors, leaving all breathless who happened to gaze at its spectral

.

The Archigos instructed that seating must be in alphabetical order by last name. Kaiden had to walk pasts hundreds of chairs when finally she saw a big R on the wall behind all of the chairs. Kaiden took her place, looking around for a familiar face. No one struck a cord, making Kaiden sink in her seat, feeling lonely. The people around her were all talking in whispers, trying not to attract too much attention to themselves. Kaiden looked up to see a balcony with a private room hidden behind sea green colored curtains. The curtains were wide open, allowing Kaiden to see four thrones, making a "U". There was one large one, garnished in black, then two smaller ones side by side, in a velvet red, then another large one garnished in white. The first throne was for the oldest son. Next, on the first smaller throne, the second daughter's. Next to hers was the youngest child and son. Then lastly was the oldest sister, also the twin of the oldest son. They weren't seated yet, but Kaiden still bowed in respect.

Kaiden averted her attention to a cytrein in the center of the arena floor, looking about at the people around him. A fake smile caressed his lips, something he always did at this exact moment every eight years.

"Amar," Kaiden whispered, pitying him. Everyone grew silent, standing to bow to Amar in respect, the Head Archigos, the Creator's right hand man.

With arms opened wide, he began:

"All of you presented here are our valuable jewels of Cytra! Each one of you possess a unique talent that has been noticed. You will use these unique abilities of yours to test your strength so you may be soldiers of our dear Creator. As of right now, we will be calling out whom you shall be dueling. You and your opponent shall duel to see how strong you truly are. If your life is at risk, we will quickly end the fight and remove you. If you are removed, your opponent is the winner. When you or your opponent surrenders, the fight will be over. Good luck to you all. Long live Cytra!" Choirs of voices sang the last line, hoping for their prosperous planet to always live. Kaiden took in a nervous breath, preparing herself both mentally and physically. _The moment of glory shall be mine, _Kaiden thought. _The longing for this day… it has finally come._

Millions of cytreins came to the duels from all over the planet, loving the thrill of each and every fight. The duels took place in Kaiden's hometown of Kalloni, also the place where the Creator's children lived. Cheers irrupted from inside the walls, making thinking almost impossible. The number of people hidden in different sections of the walls were impossible to count. Kaiden wondered how so many people could fit inside the walls since the compartments were the width of a medium size house.

Sobs broke out from different areas, people finally grasping what was about to happen. Kaiden snorted, pitying the ones who cried for themselves. _There's nothing you can do! Everyone has gone through this. _Kaiden shook her head disgusted with those around her.

_They told us to get rid of our emotions by the time the duels came around. We were always told that the duels could be the last time someone saw their family. We participate so we aren't on the lower wrung of society. They chose this. Their tears are just shameful._

The candidates rose from their seats, placing their fist over their heart and saying the pledge they learned just for this day:

_I pledge to thee, to put my heart and soul into action._

_I will use the gifts I've been given to do my finest as to try my best to succeed my dear Creator._

_I shall be the person I am, the true person I was born as, and not fake myself or others._

_I will cherish my life and hold the life of my fellow Cytrein's dear._

_I will be pure as I duel my opponents, remembering the sacredness of their life._

_This covenant I will hold till my end._

_Long live Cytra!_

Red cloaks fluttered into view as the Archigos' took their places. Amar and another Archigos stepped onto a silver disc that sent them flying at a ridiculous speed, stopping when they were at the height of the balcony. They both hopped off, having their cloaks float in the air for the slightest moment. They both leaned towards the oldest son, Peyt, and whispered something that only the six of them could hear. Kaiden could barely read their lips, they were talking so fast. Hiero, a man with jet black hair hung in his eyes that held gloom, jumped back down, but leaving Amar alone with the four children. He never landed though, astonishing all that noticed. Kaiden raised an eyebrow, wondering what kind of trick Hiero played. His tall stature made him look intimidating, but it was quite the opposite for Kaiden. Kaiden respected the man and did not fear him. His talent was very unique, something many people would kill for. He could erase memories and replace them with false ones.

Peyt jumped off the balcony gracefully, sending shrieks from all over. He walked over to a black disc that sat idly, waiting for someone to approach it. He hovered high in the dome now, smiling in every direction. Kaiden watched him, despise flowing through her. Peyt's sandy blonde hair was pulled in a dark satin ribbon. His eyes were a soft gray, that made his face stand out. What _really _made him stand out were the three long scars on the right side of his face that ran from his temple to his chin.

" Cytreins from all over! I am Peyt, oldest son of the Creator," he introduced, giving a bow with an extended arm out. Kaiden took notice of several girls gushing over him, making her stick out her tongue in disgust.

"If I may, I would like to announce the duels this year. Is that alright?" he asked in a fake innocent voice. Roars of acceptance rang through the dome, making Kaiden cross her arms now, feeling uncomfortable with this change in atmosphere.

"Thank you! I will now announce the first duel!"

He looked up as a projection of names scanned through, randomly picking the two unlucky people. The names looked beautiful as the projections made the stained glass windows sparkle in a unworldly way.

"Fredric Yuri versus Phili James!"

Projections touched every surface of the dome except the balcony, in respect of the Creator's children.

Fredric and Phili walked up, making eye contact as soon as they settled under Peyt's disc.

The boys shook hands as a sign of accepting their duel. Their eyes held so much intensity that it felt embarrassing to watch them further on.

"Begin!" Peyt called out as cheers rocked the dome, happy for the first duel to begin.

The boys ran in different direction, thinking of possible ways to insure their victory.

Kaiden watched Fredric intently, hoping he won. She knew him from her home town of Kalloni, since their mothers were friends. Fredric would occasionally ask Kaiden to spar him to help him become a better fighter. Kaiden would accept, as she began to learn how to face quick opponents. Helping Fredric was a great advantage. Fighting someone with speed means you must always be on your toes, always aware. This enhanced Kaiden's ability to fight drastically, making her become faster against a normal speed opponent.

Fredric was a skinny boy that didn't seem to have much meat on him. The thing that set him as a threat was his speed. Fredric grabbed something that was hiding in his clothes, making Kaiden whistle in acknowledgement. _Way to think ahead Fredric! A sword is perfect with your speed. _Kaiden watched the two boys clash, blood spurting everywhere. Phili blocked the sword with his wrists in a cross, leaving two deep gashes. Phili shook it off, not taking his eyes off of the sword in Fredric's hand. Fredric raised an eyebrow. "I'm impressed. You must have some strong bones if that didn't shatter them."

Phili gave a cocky smile. "As if some little knife would hurt me." The fight went on for awhile when Phili balled his left hand into a fist and striked against the ground. The ground was shaking uncontrollably, leaving Fredric struggling to keep his balance. Phili took this opportunity to take a swing at the unbalanced Fredric. Fredric's eyes widened. He stuck his sword into the ground and held onto it tightly, trying to balance himself. Phili raised a fist in the air, centimeters away from Fredric, and hit Fredric straight in the gut. Blood splattered out of Fredric's mouth. He coughed violently, struggling to breathe. Fredric gently put a hand to his ribs to feel them broken. Fredric was shaking violently now, not knowing what to do. It hurt to move and breathe. Phili started towards Fredric quickly, leaving little time for Fredric to think. Everyone knew who the winner would be of this duel. Kaiden's eyes widened is disbelief. She gripped onto the armrest of her chair to contain herself. Phili was about to uppercut Fredric when someone grabbed Phili's fist and stopped the duel.

"This duel is at it's end. Victor- Phili James," Hiero said in a nonchalant voice, showing no expression, like always. Healers came to Fredric's aid, setting him on a black disc that was the size of a body. Healers worked to patch him up quickly as they walked off of the arena grounds. Phili was escorted by two women healers, as they questioned him for head pains and such. Hiero glanced at the door they left through one last time before hopping back on a disc to take him back to the balcony. Kaiden relaxed her body now, still furious from the duel. She was in shock that Fredric lost. _Fredric was a fairly good fighter too. _

Peyt, looking up at the projection of the ceiling, smiled as he said the next two names.

"Janey Dauby versus Laney Dauby!" Peyt smiled as the two girls came from the same side, looking everywhere but at each other. "What?" Kaiden hissed under her breath.

Janey and Laney were identical twins, except one had short hair and the other, long.

Kaiden felt the atmosphere around her shift from nervous, to down right furious. To Kaiden's left was a dark skinned girl standing up with a look of pure hatred.

"What the hell is this?" she whispered so lowly that Kaiden almost didn't hear her.

"Someone set them up. This whole thing is a set up." The girl looked at Kaiden with terrified eyes.

"Are you serious?"

"Friends of yours?" Kaiden asked, putting a hand on the girls shoulder to sit her down. The girl sat down obediently, but didn't take her eyes off of the two girls.

"Something like that." She paused, exhaling. "They're my sisters."

Kaiden raised an eyebrow.

"Not biologically. My parents were slaughtered when I was young. My parents and those girls' parents were best friends, so they took me under their wing when my parents died. I've only ever thought of them as my sisters."

Kaiden smiled softly, imaging the three girls uniting as sisters. "It must be nice having such a close bond."

The girl smiled for the first time since Kaiden saw her. "You're right. It's the best thing." She clenched her fists. "But, it's being taken away."

The duel began, sending everyone in a fit of cheers, betting which of the twins would win in this tragedy.

"Janey is the one with the short hair. Her talent is using close range combat but with knives. Laney is the opposite. She's an archer." A girl with long hair had a quiver slung over her shoulder, as she produced arrow after arrow in her hand, shooting at her sister rapidly.

Kaiden's eyes narrowed. "I see," she murmured to herself. "That girl with the short hair is the older sister, right?" The girl nodded, looking at Kaiden intently, trying to figure out where she was going with this. "Janey is going to pretend to fight seriously against Laney, but in reality, Janey plans on surrendering when they're both beat up enough. Laney on the other hand, just wants to demolish Janey so they will stop being compared and prove that even though she is younger, she is stronger."

The girl laughed. "You could make all of that out by watching them? Damn Roe. It's just as they say. You're a demon after all."

Kaiden felt something in her boil, a feeling she hadn't had in a very long time. A sudden impulse to see- _STOP! _Kaiden thought to herself.

"You're wrong there. It's exactly what I would do."

"Which part though? To demolish or to protect?"

Kaiden was about to speak when cheers interrupted her. She looked up to see the outcome.

The duel ended as Kaiden had predicted. Janey laid unconscious, blood dribbling out of the side of her mouth. She had a content look on her face, happy with the outcome. Her breathing was rapid, as she fought to catch her breath. Laney took the rose from Peyt with a gloating smile on her lips and raised both arms in victory. She was given an encore as the walls vibrated.

The girl beside me shook her head. "That's that."

The next contestants names were called and the girl rose. She was about to leave when Kaiden grabbed her forearm.

"Wait!" Kaiden said urgently. She turned, raising an eyebrow to Kaiden.

"How did you know my name?"

The girl chuckled. "You mean you don't remember? You saved the twins a couple of decades ago. I wasn't able to save them, but you, a stranger did. I hated you for the longest time, but I saw you periodically and couldn't help but come to like you." The girl walked off, a look of determination on her face.

"Genel," Kaiden whispered, remembering the name Peyt had called out. Genel fought with beauty, taking out her anger on her opponent. After awhile, Genel grew tired of fighting. "I surrender!" she said while looking in Kaiden's direction even though Kaiden knew she couldn't see her.

The next duel threw Kaiden off. "Rosh Agaan versus Elliot Junen!" Peyt announced, surprised by Elliot's name. Disappointment filled him as he watched Elliot come out.

Kaiden smiled to herself, watching her best friend. Elliot walked with pride, happy to finally show everyone what he was made of.

"Begin!"

Rosh raised a hand in the air and snapped his fingers. From the shadows came a beautiful black and brown wolf. Elliot froze in place, thinking of a way to get around hurting the gorgeous animal. Elliot had a soft spot for wolves.

"Ditri! Ark!" Rosh commanded in a thick accent that Kaiden hadn't heard in decades. Ditri obeyed his master and took off towards Elliot, his eyes hungry for some real battle. Elliot took a calm breath and raised a hand. His stature was that of someone with grand authority, showing his opponent that he controlled the floor. Water sprung from the ground, who knows exactly where from, and surrounded Ditri. With a close motion of the hand, the water became solid, everywhere except the head so Ditri could breathe. The beast whined as he licked the ice around him. Elliot took off in an invisible run, silent as death, towards Rosh, opening up his hand, and hitting the heel of his hand into Rosh's nose. Rosh was about to fall backwards when several Archigos came to his aid immediately. A soft white light was eluding near Rosh's nose and forehead as a Archigos' hand was extended, healing him. They urgently took him off the arena grounds. Elliot made an opening- closing motion with his hand and Ditri was released. He shook his body, making all the loose drops of water shed away from him and ran off towards the Archigos's took his master. Elliot's hardened expression became softer as he gazed after the shivering, beautiful animal. Peyt's disc hovered down to give him the rose.

"Trying to kill are we?"

Elliot snatched the rose, his eyes becoming frightening once more, and went back to his seat, ignoring the healers who tried to ask him if he was alright. Kaiden smiled, joyous for such a quick end. Several girls around Kaiden giggled because of Elliot.

"Of course Elliot won!" "He's so hot!" "Does he have a girl friend?"

Kaiden chuckled aloud, making the girls gossiping look at her with disdain. It was the same main girl from earlier, but accompanied with several different faces.

"Unfortunately, Elliot isn't interested in maggots such as yourselves." The words flowed out of Kaiden's mouth with ease.

One of the girls stood up and started towards to Kaiden when Peyt said Kaiden's name.

"Trent Lucroases versus Kaiden Roe!"

The girls gave Kaiden a smug smile. "May luck walk with you, Roe. You'll need it." Kaiden

made her way down, her heart leaping with joy. She could fight to her hearts content, _almost_.

Trent stuck his hand out to shake hands. Kaiden was expecting a hard, gruff squeeze but instead a gentle hand shook hers.

This was the first boy versus girl battle since the evening began. Trent was extremely tall for someone our age, towering over a good six feet. He had cropped brown hair and was burly. He had a dark complexion that made his eyes pop out, the silver intriguing. Peyt signaled for the duel to begin, his curiosity burning through him, wanting to see Kaiden's duel. Trent and Kaiden both stood in place, figuring out what should happen.

"May luck walk with you always, Trent," Kaiden said with a smile, being the first to acknowledge her opponent. Trent looked away from her eyes but said in a husky voice, "May luck walk with you always too, Miss Kaiden."

Kaiden took in a deep breath, rolling her shoulders as she took a step towards Trent. One step was all it took for Trent to attack. "One, two, three. There's a spider on thee." The rhyme made Kaiden giggle, as his deep voice spoke the childish rhyme.

A giant black widow emerged in front of Trent. Instead of the hourglass on it's abdomen being red, it was a neon orange. Trent pointed a finger at Kaiden as she took in the horrid creature.

"Four, five, six. Don't forget the trix!"

The spider roared and charged for Kaiden. She rolled out of the way as the black widow rammed head on into the glass. Shrieks and terrified screams came from different directions, making it hard for Kaiden to concentrate. Green goo came from the smashed spiders head. It lingered there for a moment as Kaiden watched the goo trickle down into the floor to see it make a hole in the ground and a weird aroma swell up. Kaiden grabbed a piece of debris from the ground that the goo had left behind. She threw it at the abdomen with full force, praying that it would cut through. This time a different shade of green liquid came out, but had no smell or deadly aroma to accompany it.

Taking in a deep breath, she put a hand over her mouth and nose. She ran towards Trent, but the spider blocked the way as she predicted. _Here we go! _Kaiden plunged her body into the spider and ran through it, trying her hardest not to open her mouth, fear of swallowing and digesting the disgusting, sticky liquid. She pushed through the widow and tackled Trent once she found light once more. She thanked the Creator that she was in one piece. She put her forearm to his throat and pushed down, stealing his breath away. He struggled against her, trying to use his size as an advantage, but Kaiden had him pinned. "I-I….s-s-s-surrender!" Trent made out finally. Cheers eroded as all eyes were on the winner, Kaiden. Kaiden offered Trent a hand. Shyly he accepted her help. She noticed the shade of red in his cheeks, probably from the lack of breath, but to Trent, it was embarrassment for being tackled in an odd way by a girl.

"Thanks," he murmured, looking away from Kaiden. Kaiden began to walk off when Trent called her name. She turned to catch Trent's shirt.

"Wipe yourself off, would ya? You're all gross."

Kaiden nodded and wiped her face. She went over to accept the rose when Peyt came down to her level.

"Nice work there Roe, but in the next duel, can I see something, you know, more exciting? I can't wait to see you actually try."

Kaiden took the rose, but not before giving Peyt a fake smile and said, "I'll make sure I won't disappoint you next time."

Peyt gave Kaiden one final look before opening his arms wide and showing a bright smile while saying, "This concludes the first part of the duels! We will give an hour for all of the winners to patch up, then attend their next and final duel to see who the real champions are!" All lights went off, leaving the dome in bitter darkness. Around the walls you saw light after light turn on, seeing people in different attires and masks. They were all laughing and smiling, enjoying themselves immensely.

Peyt hopped off his disc to stop Kaiden.

"Well done Roe, but as I said, I want something more exciting. I expect a lot from you after all."

"I wouldn't want to disappoint you, now would I, my Kyrios?" Kaiden said sarcastically, watching Peyt carefully. She didn't trust him.

"Your friend Elliot did well too. I was surprised he made it."

Kaiden whipped around to face him head on.

"You don't know _anything _about him. He's ten times stronger than you."

He slanted his eyes. "Oh? Stronger than a Creator?"

Kaiden spat on the ground. "You're no Creator. You're just his son. Unfortunately for you Peyt, I won't dance for you like the rest of the monkeys here. I'm one puppet you and your father will _never _control." With that Kaiden left, leaving a smiling Peyt alone.

"What an interesting girl."


End file.
